The Unknown At Home
by missmissa85
Summary: What strange things lurk in the basement of Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.? Indy, Marion and Mutt find out with some difficulty.


A/N: This is set after the main events of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Jopierce's (that's Jo Z. Pierce around here) Explorers Contest on was the original inspiration for this story. Enjoy!

He never went down there. It was dark, it smelled funny, and there were cobwebs everywhere. It was the sort of thing he went _out_ of the house for. He didn't want to face it at home.

"There's a light switch around here somewhere," Indy muttered.

He heard a click and the room was suddenly flooded with warm yellow light. He turned to see Mutt standing next to the light switch with a smug look on his face.

"Well, come on and help us," Indy told him as he and Marion lifted the lid off the nearest crate.

"Why are we doing this again?" Mutt asked.

"Because we're moving in here, and we have to have a place to store our stuff too," Marion answered.

Mutt groaned, but joined them in sorting through the clothes. He came across a small Stetson and said, "Did you get this from when you were a Mountie?"

Indy cocked an eyebrow at him. "That was part of my Boy Scout uniform."

"You were a Boy Scout?" Mutt asked incredulously.

"I was an Eagle Scout," Indy told him proudly.

"Naturally," the younger man muttered as he tossed the hat aside. He pulled out another hat of tweed and said, "What's the story with this one?"

Indy took the hat and smiled. "It belonged to my dad," he explained.

"I think you should stick with the fedora," Mutt told him.

Indy chuckled and gently set the hat aside.

A glittery piece of gold at the bottom of the box caught the younger man's eye. "What's this?" he asked, bringing it into the light.

Marion snatched it out of his hand. "I've been looking for this everywhere. How long have you had it?"

Indy's face scrunched up as she waved the gold medallion with a crystal off center in front of him. "Since 1936," he answered.

Mutt looked from Indy to Marion and back again. "What is it? It just looks like a cheap piece of sh-Ow!"

"Watch your mouth," his mother told him.

Indy stifled a grin and said, "It's the headpiece to the staff of Ra."

"The what?"

"It helped me find the Ark of the Covenant," Indy explained, digging deeper into the crate.

"What, you mean like from the Bible?" He looked back toward his mother who was stuffing the medallion into her pocket. "You mean you guys actually found the thing?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"Well, where is it?" he asked.

"Mutt, why don't you go over there and sort through those boxes," Marion suggested.

"How am I supposed to know what to get rid of?"

"If it looks like it's from before 1935, throw it out."

"What if looks like it's from the fifth century?"

"Mutt!"

"I'm going, I'm going."

_Three Hours Later..._

"Mom, we've been at this all day," Mutt whined. "Can we stop now?"

"I'm with the kid," Indy said, taking a seat on top of one of the crates.

"Who is this?" Marion asked, holding up a framed picture of a blonde woman wearing a form-fitting red dress.

Indy's face blanched. "Well, um..."

"What? You can't remember her name?" Marion asked him snidely.

"Willie. Her name was Willie," Indy answered.

"Willie. Willie? What kind of a name is Willie?" Mutt asked.

"That's kinda what I said," Indy muttered in response.

Marion suddenly screamed and threw the frame down, shattering it in the process.

Indy and Mutt both raised their eyebrows at her. "Well, _that_ was a little dramatic, don't you think?" the older man asked her.

"Indy, don't move," Marion told him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Marion, what-" he started to say as he got up. A loud hiss, however, caught his attention. He looked to his left and saw the hooded head of a Cobra slithering it's way toward him. "Jesus!" he screamed as he jumped away, knocking Mutt to the floor.

The cobra arched its body, extended its hood, and bared its teeth. Indy backed away from it so quickly, he collided with one of the precarious bookcases, dumping an avalanche of ancient hardbacks onto his and Mutt's heads.

"Indy!" Marion cried as she waded through the sea of literature.

She grabbed onto their flailing hands and pulled them to their feet.

"Somehow, I think the wood in your bookcases is rotten," Mutt said, brushing the dust off himself.

Indy didn't even hear him. "Is it gone?" he asked Marion.

"Yeah, you scared it off with your impressive display of masculinity," she answered.

Mutt scoffed, but Indy just glared at her. "You mean it's still down here?"

"Well, I would think so."

Indy didn't answer her, he just headed for the stairs with more speed than one would have expected from a person of such advanced years. As they watched him go Mutt called after him, "What's the big deal? It's _just_ a snake!"

"Mutt!" his mother screamed just as the cobra hissed, ready to strike at Mutt's behind.

"Holy Mother of God!" Mutt yelled, jumping out of the way just in time. He grabbed his mother's hand and pulled her along behind him as they ran up the stairs. Indy laughed as they passed him. That is, of course, before he noticed the cobra slithering up the basement steps.

"Uh-oh," Indy said before jogging the rest of the way up the steps and locking the door behind himself.

"Do you know if the zoo needs a cobra for their snake house?" Marion asked.

"I don't know. I never go _into_ the snake house," Indy told her.

"Door. Door. Door," Mutt said frantically.

They looked down and saw the cobra sticking its black head out from beneath the door sill.

"Whoa!" Indy hollered as the trio ran toward the front door. They didn't stop until they were all safely enclosed in Indy's car.

After a couple of deep breaths, he said, "Maybe I should move in with you two."

"Good idea," Mutt and Marion agreed.


End file.
